Q: What would $10,000 dollars put into McDonald's stock in 1988 and then left until now be worth?

A: "If I'd just bought McDonald's stock and held onā?¦" is one of the common laments investors share over their morning Egg McMuffins.

Investors routinely look back in time and assume they could have made a fortune if they'd just bought that one stock they know, because of familiarity with their products. McDonald's is often one such stock that investors wish they would have bought.

But is this common regret true? Investing in McDonald's many years ago would have turned into a sweet gain for investors. The commonly held belief that buying and holding McDonald's stock for several decades was the recipe for investment success takes a bit of calculation.

For this, we'll assume the investor bought $10,000 worth of McDonald's shares on Jan. 4, 1988, the first day of trading that year. Shares traded for $45.50 not adjusted for splits. McDonald's stock split 2-for-1 three times since then, so the split-adjusted price is $5.69 a share. That means investors who put down $10,000 then now would have 1,757.5 shares of McDonald's.

Now, shares of McDonald's are trading for $88.01, meaning those 1,757.5 shares would be worth $155,558. That's a 1,447% increase, excluding dividends. There's no question that's a big return for investors who hung on that whole time. The long-term McDonald's investor not only enjoyed a big return, but topped the broad market, as well. Just for comparisons, consider that a $10,000 investment in the Standard & Poor's 500 index on Jan. 4, 1988, would be worth $55,033, or a 450% increase.

Remember, though, holding onto McDonald's stock all those years wasn't a smooth ride and many investors would have bailed out. For instance, a major correction in the stock started in November 1999 resulted in the company losing about 70% of its market value in just a few months. But those with unshakable faith in the Big Mac who didn't sell are certainly enjoying the rewards now.